Protected areas

This plan sets out the policies and actions needed to ensure an adequate, effective and well-managed network of protected areas in Europe. It outlines how potential areas should be integrated with other sectors, such as agriculture, forestry and tourism; sets out priorities at European, sub-regional and national level; proposes actions to strengthen the legal framework, planning and management of Europe's protected areas, and explains how to create the public support necessary for success.

These guidelines expand on the system of categories designed to provide a basis for international comparison, identifying categories by their main management objectives and offering 40 examples of how the six categories have been applied. Indipensable for those preparing national protected areas systems plans.

Covers the full spectrum of legal mechanisms available for conserving biodiversity. Part 1 discusses the scope of state powers to conserve wild species and habitats, legal mechanisms for controlling taking, procedures for listing species in need of conservation measures, mechanisms for controlling trade and the challenges of enforcement. Part 2 covers area-based conservation at local and national level, as well as in transfrontier protected areas and areas beyond national jurisdiction.

Compiled by WWF in collaboration with IUCN, this document offers a comprehensive view of how to design and implement conservation projects to provide for local peoples, wildlife, and the land itself.